"Click!"

The camera shutter is pressed, and the figures of Evan and Audrey are frozen in the film.

In the background is the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

Because of the "morning exercise", Audrey was already absent from the morning performance, so she simply took a day off by phone, just in time to go out for a while.

When it came to choosing a place to play, Evan and Audrey had a clear idea and both put the Statue of Liberty first.

After the photo was taken, Evan and Audrey turned and walked into the pedestal. Next, they had to take the elevator and climb the stairs to the crown at the top.

Bob scrambled to put away his bulky camera and followed the two.

As he walked up the spiraling staircase, Evan suddenly remembered his experience at the Empire State Building Observation Deck that day, and said to Audrey, who was also out of breath, "Audrey, remember to watch me when you get to the crown." ”

Audrey looked at her and asked, "Why?"

Evan said: "I may be afraid of heights......

Before Audrey could speak, one of the tourists laughed and said, "It's funny, I'm afraid of heights......

Another person said: "What's so ridiculous about this, didn't you see that people are accompanying girls......"

"Oh......"

The men in the tourists immediately looked at Evan with expressions that I understood.

While Evan and Audrey struggled to climb up, Wall Street in Manhattan, across the river from the island where the Statue of Liberty is located, was a busy scene.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the New York Stock Exchange at 11 Wall Street closed.

A few minutes later, several Wall Street bigwigs arrived at JP Morgan's headquarters at 23 Wall Street, just across the street from the stock exchange.

Among these people are the president of the Reserve Bank of New York, Alan Sproul;

Chairman of Chase National Bank, Winthrop Aldrich;

Chairman of the Bank of Manhattan, James Warberg;

Chairman of the Chemical Bank, Harold Holmes;

President of Morgan Stanley, Harold Stanley;

World Bank President, John McCloy.

These people can almost be said to be the "leading big brothers" in the American financial industry.

23 Wall Street used to be known as the "Morgan House", but since the death of Jack Morgan in 1943, JP Morgan, who has been transformed from a private partnership into a corporatized company, is no longer the person with the surname Morgan.

At this time, the chairman of the board of directors of JP Morgan was Thomas Lamont. Lamont）。

Of course, Morgan's descendants remain on the board.

Lamont, who became a partner at Morgan Bank in 1911, was a powerful figure, representing the U.S. Treasury at the Paris Council, initiating Dawes's loans, Morgan's most important agent in overseas operations, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and an unofficial adviser to Presidents Wilson, Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

During World War II, Lamont was the face of Jack Morgan.

As an important member of the Morgan Consortium, one of the two major national consortia in the United States at this time, Lamont had great influence on the financial industry in the United States.

Representatives of another national consortium, the Rockefeller Consortium, were also present.

The gathering of seven governor-level figures will certainly not be a trivial matter.

At 4:20 a.m., a special person was welcomed in a palatial parlor of the Morgan House, which used to be used for the banker's salon.

His name is Dean Lovett. Lovett）。

He is from the White House and is the newly appointed US Deputy Secretary of State.

Dean appeared here to consult with Wall Street on behalf of President Truman.

After a brief greeting, everyone took their seats.

In addition to the eight people introduced earlier, there were two people present. A man named Russell Ryfenwell (Russell Ryfenwell) Leffingell) is the number two of JP Morgan, a young man named David Rockefeller who is ostensibly an assistant to Winthrop Aldrich.

Dean said straight to the point: "Gentlemen, I won't talk about gossip, you must already know my intentions." ”

"Now, I, and the President and Secretary Marshall, whom I represent, would like to hear your thoughts on the 'European Aid' program?"

As soon as the words fell, Harold Stanley, McCloy, and Lamont of the Seven spoke.

Stanley said, "No, I support Mr. President's policy. ”

"Europe needs our strength, or they're going to collapse," McCloy said. ”

Lamont put it this way: "Internationalism has always been Morgan's insistence. ”

After that, others also expressed positive opinions to varying degrees.

Hearing this, Dean nodded with satisfaction.

"Thank you, and I'm sure Mr. Truman will be very happy. ”

"So, then, I would like to ask you about the content of the Marshall Plan. ”

"What is the opinion of Mr. George Kennan that the Soviet Union should be included in the list of aid recipients?"

As soon as this question came out, the living room was immediately silent.

A moment later, World Bank President McCloy said, "George Kennan, has he been in the Soviet Union for a long time, has he been assimilated? Otherwise, how could he make such a request?" ”

Apparently, McCloy was against it.

Immediately following the chairman of Chase National Bank, Winthrop Aldridge also said: "Mr. Lovett, do you still need to worry about this kind of thing? Truman will not be convinced by him, will he?"

Dean shook his head and said, "No, Mr. President is just a little hesitant, so he needs to listen to everyone's opinions." ”

"That's good, you've seen our opinions......" Aldridge paused suddenly, he saw Lamont and Ryfenwell whispering, and said displeasedly: "Mr. Lamont, what, does the Morgan House have a different opinion?"

Tom (Thomas Lamont's nickname), be careful to repeat the mistakes of the past, Mussolini's affair did not last long. ”

Aldrich's words darkened Lamont's face, and Mussolini was a stain on him and the Morgan consortium. Before World War II, Morgan Bank was Italy's largest overseas bank, and Lamont had a good relationship with Mussolini, once lending him up to $100 million.

This is one of the reasons why during World War II the Morgan Consortium was positioned by the entire American society as an alien organization that conspired and conspired with foreign powers.

However, as the situation in the world changes, the internationalism of the Morgan consortium will be re-embraced by Washington.

One proof of this is the fact that Morgan provided the venue for the meeting.

"Ahem, Mr. Aldrich, this is a thing of the past! We shouldn't dwell on the past, we should look to the future, should we?"

It was Ryfenwell who spoke out, after all, Lamont's revelation had something to do with him.

"Also, I do have a different opinion about whether the Marshall Plan was going to include the Soviet Union. ”

"What!?"

With the exception of Lamont, everyone looked surprised.

Dean, who was also opposed, frowned and said, "Ryfenwell, please explain clearly!"